sweeten
verb
sweet·en ˈswē-tᵊn 
sweetened; sweetening ˈswēt-niŋ
ˈswē-tᵊn-iŋ
transitive verb
1
: to make sweet
2
: to soften the mood or attitude of
3
: to make less painful or trying
4
: to free from a harmful or undesirable quality or substance
especially : to remove sulfur compounds from
sweeten natural gas
5
: to make more valuable or attractive
sweeten the deal
: such as a
: to increase (a pot not won on the previous deal) by anteing prior to another deal
b
: to place additional securities as collateral for (a loan)
intransitive verb
: to become sweet
sweetener
ˈswēt-nər
noun ˈswē-tᵊn-ər
Synonyms
- candy
- dress up
- enhance
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He sweetened his cereal a little. He sweetened the deal with a large signing bonus.
Recent Examples on the Web To sweeten the deal, Eagle Mountain Ranch is surrounded by red rock vistas thanks to 1,700-feet of Oak Creek Canyon frontage and its proximity to Coconino National Forest. 
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 8 Sep. 2022 As if that weren't compelling enough, Too Faced is also offering loads of freebies to sweeten the deal, including free deluxe gifts with purchases over $55. Jennifer Chan, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2022 Founded in 2011 by Cashmere Nicole, the mission of Beauty Bakerie is to be sweet and sweeten the lives of others. Jacorey Moon, Good Housekeeping, 29 Aug. 2022 The kit contains pouches filled with dehydrated fruits to naturally sweeten tequila, or another liquor depending on her beverage of choice. Martha Sorren, Woman's Day, 17 Aug. 2022 To sweeten the deal even further, EPAuto throws in a ½-to-⅜-inch socket adapter for enhanced versatility and a socket extension for accessing hard to reach places. James Fitzgerald, Popular Mechanics, 8 Aug. 2022 Last week, Uber rolled out new features to sweeten the deal for ride-share drivers. Preetika Rana, WSJ, 2 Aug. 2022 JetBlue has since incrementally raised its offer in an effort to sweeten the deal. Dan Carson, Chron, 20 July 2022 Epic even offered to brand its E3 presence with PlayStation or add unique characters, exclusive to PS Plus subscribers, to sweeten the deal. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2022 See More
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 8 Sep. 2022 As if that weren't compelling enough, Too Faced is also offering loads of freebies to sweeten the deal, including free deluxe gifts with purchases over $55. Jennifer Chan, Peoplemag, 2 Sep. 2022 Founded in 2011 by Cashmere Nicole, the mission of Beauty Bakerie is to be sweet and sweeten the lives of others. Jacorey Moon, Good Housekeeping, 29 Aug. 2022 The kit contains pouches filled with dehydrated fruits to naturally sweeten tequila, or another liquor depending on her beverage of choice. Martha Sorren, Woman's Day, 17 Aug. 2022 To sweeten the deal even further, EPAuto throws in a ½-to-⅜-inch socket adapter for enhanced versatility and a socket extension for accessing hard to reach places. James Fitzgerald, Popular Mechanics, 8 Aug. 2022 Last week, Uber rolled out new features to sweeten the deal for ride-share drivers. Preetika Rana, WSJ, 2 Aug. 2022 JetBlue has since incrementally raised its offer in an effort to sweeten the deal. Dan Carson, Chron, 20 July 2022 Epic even offered to brand its E3 presence with PlayStation or add unique characters, exclusive to PS Plus subscribers, to sweeten the deal. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
circa 1552, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing sweeten
Kids Definition
sweeten
verb
sweet·en ˈswē-tᵊn
sweetened; sweetening
: to make or become sweet or sweeter
sweeten
verb
as in to candy
to make more desirable we really want you to work for our company—what can we do to sweeten the job offer? Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- candy
- improve
- enhance
- spruce
- ameliorate
- enrich
- trick
- embellish
- meliorate
- dress up
- soup up
- cosmeticize
- doll up